Setting Up Shop
Getting the storefront ready…
June 1st we went all in. Head first! We signed a lease to a storefront location in downtown Escondido. We’ve lived in the Escondido/Valley Center area for the past 15 years and always loved wandering down Grand Ave looking in the shops and eating at all the fun restaurants. We even started our CrossFit journey at the gym there. Grand Ave has been our go-to place for many years, and now we are officially going to be a part of it as a business owner.
Friends at another business on Grand told us about an available space. We contacted the owners, took a giant leap of faith, drained our bank account, and within a few days moved into our new location at 156 W. Grand Ave in Historic Downtown Escondido.
For the past two weeks we’ve been feverishly knocking down walls, tearing down shelves, painting, cleaning, and all the not-so-glamorous parts of opening a store. It’s been a true family affair. Jason and I have been there around the clock. Then our daughter moved home for a few weeks prior to starting art grad school, so of course she was conscripted and put to work. She’s creating a custom art installation to fill the awkward coffer space, and also serving as our Chief Window Dresser, putting her artistic abilities to the test to imagine our first window display.
We’ve learned a lot in a short time. Like how to paint over textured wallpaper that we couldn’t remove. Or how busy the tamale shop next door is. And we’ve met and talked with all sorts of folks on the street, from passersby to other small business owners. We’ve been thrilled to learn that Grand Ave is a wonderfully close-knit community of small businesses, and that the city of Escondido not only welcomes new businesses but goes out of their way to help them be successful. We couldn’t have imagined a better location!
There have been a few setbacks and more than a few obstacles. But we are hoping to get the doors open to the front retail space soon. We’ll then shift our attention to the second space, which will become an Art Gallery. We hope to provide a place for local artists to display and sell their works. The room is big and empty. It can showcase art of all kinds. We plan to furnish it and hope it becomes a hangout for locals; a peaceful place to sit, enjoy your coffee from The Kettle on Grand and a macaroon from A Delight of France, while admiring some amazing art and perhaps perusing our books.
Once that room is complete, we will focus on the last space: The Healing Room. We are fortunate to have a rear office space, with its own entrance and parking. It can be closed off entirely from the retail marketplace and gallery, offering total privacy. Our dream is to create a tranquil treatment room that can be booked by the half and full hour, as well as day, week, and month. We see this as a space where practitioners of all kinds (tarot readers, massage therapists, reiki masters, crystal healers, herbalists…) can come and meet their clients without the hassle of committing to a long-term rental.
Having these two extra rooms will also allow us to realize our dream of creating a community of spiritualists and artists. We will have the space to host all kinds of events that bring people together.
When I first began to dream of The Prism and Pendulum, I imagined something that was more than just a crystal store. I saw art, books, learning, gathering, creating. People coming together and sharing their ideas and their creations. A place that connects people.
I have big hopes and dreams for this space! And I’m learning that I cannot make them all happen overnight. But that’s ok. I know it will be worth the wait.
